Page 45 of Five Gentlemen at Netherfield (Pride and Prejudice Variations)

Longbourn Estate

Three Days Later

Spring had mostly shaken off the frosty chill that had dogged her steps as she stepped out of winter, her days warmer and her nights milder than they had been even a mere fortnight before.

Today was no exception, as the air was comfortably warm, occasionally disturbed by a thin wisp of a breeze, while the clouds overhead prevented overheating in the sun.

Jane wore only a light shawl on her shoulders as concession to a possible chill, and it sagged now into the crooks of her arms. The reins were gathered loosely in her hands, with Daisy blowing out a soft breath and waiting patiently beneath her rider.

Mr. Wallace sat beside Jane, also astride one of the farm horses, his hat tipped down over his eyes to shade them from the glare.

The two riders were at the crest of a small hill, the better to survey the roof of a small and rather dilapidated cottage some fifty feet away.

The straw of the roof was patchy and sunken in oddly in places, while the bricks were dark and weathered with age, and ivy climbed up the walls to extend tendrils and pluck at the bedraggled roof.

Jane studied the entirety of the building with concern.

“You said there are leaks inside the cottage?” she asked the steward.

“Yes, Miss Bennet.”

Jane shook her head in dismay. “I had no idea that the Stocktons’ cottage was in such poor shape. I assumed that my father would have…”

She trailed off and said, “Well, that will need to be fixed, and soon. It cannot be good for the children to be exposed to dampness and mold.”

“I agree,” Mr. Wallace said in a relieved tone and then, a moment later, continued carefully.

“Before Miss Elizabeth left for Derbyshire, she was the one who gave me permission to spend the money necessary for such repairs. Should I discuss such matters with you, Miss Bennet, or with Mr. Phillips, perhaps?”

Jane blew out a breath and considered for a minute.

“Please inform me,” she said eventually.

“If the state of affairs at Longbourn were better, that is, if we had savings … but realistically, we do not have much set aside for situations like this. That cottage roof can be repaired, and should be soon, but we cannot fix everything that needs doing, unfortunately.”

“I understand,” Wallace replied.

“Miss Bennet!” a voice called out from a short distance away, and the pair turned their heads in surprise, which gave way to pleasure on Jane’s part.

“Mr. Bingley!” she called to the young gentleman, who was astride his gray gelding, which was trotting toward her. “Good morning!”

“Miss Bennet, Mr. Wallace,” Bingley said with a smile. “I was riding along Netherfield’s border and spied you from a distance. I hope I am not interrupting anything?”

“Not at all,” Jane said, returning the smile. “Mr. Wallace and I were discussing the cottage over there. You can see the roof needs to be replaced.”

Bingley turned, squinted, and then nodded. “Yes, I see that. I understand that thatch is not particularly durable and am thankful that most of the cottages on Netherfield land have tile roofs.”

“Those are better,” Jane agreed and then, with a blush, continued. “Mr. Bingley, would you care to ride back to Longbourn for tea? I am certain my mother would enjoy seeing you.”

“Thank you, I would enjoy that.”

“I need to check a fence about a mile from here,” Mr. Wallace said tactfully. “I will speak with you later, Miss Bennet.”

“Thank you,” Jane replied absently. Her gaze was fixed on Mr. Bingley, who was staring at her with adoring intensity. “Shall we, Mr. Bingley?”

He nodded and turned his horse toward Longbourn, and Jane did the same, and within a minute, their mounts were walking side by side in perfect amity.

“Miss Bennet, I have a question,” Bingley said.

She looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and alarm. There was a strange note of gravity in the gentleman’s voice. “Yes?”

He turned to face her directly now, his expression likewise one of concern, and he said in a subdued tone, “Does it bother you that I am not at all a talented chess player?”

She blinked in bewilderment and then chuckled as she shook her head. “No, of course not. Not in the least.”

He grinned at her, and his shoulders noticeably relaxed. “I am glad, because try as I might, I cannot truly enjoy chess, nor am I good at it.”

“I learned because I am my father’s eldest, and he wished to have a child who could play with him.

I did not know that I had a natural affinity for the game for many years, not until Elizabeth, who is cleverer than I am, found herself unable to beat me.

It is no great thing, really. I enjoy it, but I certainly do not think less of those who are not adept at the game. ”

“Truthfully, I find it remarkable how good you are,” Bingley said. “Darcy is a wonderful player and few can beat him, and you have done so more than once and with ease.”

Jane shrugged and then laughed. “Not ease. He is very good, and my games with him were a struggle. But I promise you that if we marry, I will be happy with love and companionship and respect and will easily set aside any desire for a husband who can beat me in chess.”

“I am glad,” he replied simply and laughed with her.

Longbourn was rising in the distance now, and the gentleman asked, “I know your father has been crippled as a result of his apoplexy, but is his mind clear enough for chess?”

She sighed. “His mind is clear enough, but his speech is not, and he cannot move the pieces by himself. I daresay that seems peculiar, since his right side was not affected, but somehow his balance is off, and the squares on the board are small. We tried twice, but he grew so frustrated that we deemed it unwise to try again. He does enjoy watching me play with others, and Kitty has kindly offered herself up as a sacrifice so that he can watch a few games.”

He laughed at this. “Miss Kitty is not a good player?”

“She has not played often in the past, but she actually has a natural aptitude and is improving rapidly. I always start without one of my rooks and one of my bishops and I always win, but the games are growing more even.”

“That is good of Miss Kitty,” Bingley said approvingly.

“It is. She has matured a great deal in the last months.”

“You have all had a heavy load to carry,” he said compassionately.

She blew out a breath and said, “It has been a most difficult time, and I am thankful for family and friends like you to assist in carrying us through it all.”

***

Lambton

Derbyshire

Elizabeth thought her joy could not grow any fuller.

Her hand rested lightly on her suitor’s arm as they walked down the sidewalk, with Mary and Colonel Fitzwilliam directly behind them and speaking together softly, while behind the two courting pairs, Mrs. Annesley and Georgiana walked side by side in comfortable silence.

The day was warm, with a bright sun and a brisk breeze tugging at curls and bonnets.

It was a perfect day for visiting the small town just a few miles beyond the bounds of Pemberley.

Lambton was all that was charming, with quaint little shops with red-tiled roofs, and well-kept houses with flowers in window boxes bobbing heads of white and blue and purple and pink.

A lovely park was tucked off of the main street, with a pond visible beyond white-washed gates and surrounded by large and heavily leafed trees, with benches in the shade beneath and well-tended flowerbeds awash in color.

The streets were filled with people, women with baskets on their arms bustling from shop to shop and children scampering across the street, and men talking in little groups or leading horses or riding in wagons.

Most of them were tenants or servants or merchants or their wives, with only a few gentlemen and ladies among them.

Elizabeth had seen many servants and tenants in Meryton, some of them comfortably well-off, some of them less so.

She knew that some masters were truly unkind and kept their tenants miserable in shoddy conditions.

Around Meryton, tenants were more likely to share in the fates of their masters, neither really rich nor really poor.

Here in Lambton, it was apparent that the Darcy dependents were well looked after by their conscientious master.

None of the faces in the road were pinched with hunger or care, no merchant appeared to be preoccupied with heavy business, and the children were full of joy and energy and noise.

The little town’s prosperity and contentment reflected well on Mr. Darcy’s management of Pemberley.

Elizabeth noticed that the locals were obviously interested in these newcomers to their little town.

Men would catch her eye and doff their hats, while smiling matrons would bob curtsies to the little party of gentry.

These greetings Mr. Darcy returned with stately nods and very occasionally a word or two as he guided his group along the sidewalk.

Elizabeth did not speak, nor was she expected to.

She was a curiosity on the arm of the most prominent person in the locale, and while normally such attention would prove a trifle disconcerting, she realized that with Mr. Darcy standing tall and imposing and handsome beside her, she was perfectly secure.

It was novel and unfamiliar, to be stared at by strangers and to feel …

protected. Yes, she felt protected at Mr. Darcy’s side in a way she never had with Mr. Bennet walking either before or behind his family – protected and cherished.

It was a delightful sensation, and she basked in it.

“There is my favorite store in all of Lambton,” Mr. Darcy said, stopping and lifting his available hand to point at a book shop across the street. “Would you like to go inside?”

“I would very much, if that does not sound too boring,” Elizabeth said, turning toward the rest of the party.

Mary, who was looking healthier and prettier by the day, said, “I would enjoy that very much, however it seems silly when we have access to the library at Pemberley.

“One can never have enough books,” Mr. Darcy said solemnly, although his eyes twinkled.

“They also have music,” Georgiana volunteered, “and I would like to look through that. But Brother, you must promise me that when we leave the bookstore, we will visit the Tempest.”

“Of course we will,” Darcy replied and then turned toward Elizabeth. “It is a shop with the best treats in all of Derbyshire, scones, and biscuits, and cheesecakes, plus excellent tea.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Elizabeth responded with a grin. “Perhaps in the next few days, we could bring my little cousins here – not to the book store, but to the Tempest.”

“I would love that,” Georgiana exclaimed. “They also have ices sometimes.”

“We will plan on it, then,” Darcy promised.